An Unlikely Reunion
by DragoonKain07
Summary: Brock and Ash head to Cerulean City to answer a disturbing letter sent to Brock. But what happens in Cerulean is hardly what Brock expected at all; how will he handle the change of plans? And how exactly do Ash and Misty fit into all of this?
1. Pallet Town

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own any part of the Pokèmon franchise and give full credit for Pokèmon characters named in my fanfiction to Nintendo, Inc. and (until recently) 4Kids Entertainment.

Now for the story:

**Chapter 1: Pallet Town**

_By: DragoonKain_

Fresh from his competition in the Hoenn league tournament, Ash smiled as he breathed the familiar evening air of his home town of Pallet. It had been a long journey, but he had finally made it back home, with Brock standing by his side. He had regretted saying goodbye to May & Max, but he needed to take a rest after four straight years on the road, and they had made it clear that May needed to get as much contest practice done as possible for the newly created Pokèmon Contests in Johto. With a happy squeak, Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and started running towards Ashs house. Ash and Brock quickly followed with laughs of joy, daydreaming of the warm beds and home- cooked food they had been deprived of during the traveling last year. By the time they reached Ashs house, they had built up a hefty appetite and were enthused to see Ashs mom, Delia, in her kitchen apron when she answered the doorbell.

"Well, look who it is!" she said as she gave the two boys hugs. "My Ash, youre getting tall! Come in; I was just starting to make dinner, and if you can give me a few minutes, I can make enough for us 3, Mr. Mime, and all of your Pokèmon! By the way, Brock, your dad forwarded a letter to my house a few days ago do you know what its about?"

"Not at all," said a stunned Brock, "I hope it isnt anything serious!"

"Well, I'll let you read it; I have the envelope around here somewhere..ah here it is," she exclaimed, pulling it out of a stuffed kitchen drawer.

Brock frowned when he saw the envelope, and opened the letter, reading it as he slowly walked upstairs. Ash was too hypnotized by the smell of their dinner that he failed to even notice Brock leaving the room, instead trying to sneak a taste of the food before it was prepared, earning a swift swat from the spoon in his mothers hands.

About halfway through dinner, Brock came downstairs, stiffly sat down, and began to eat without speaking a word. Ash tried to start up conversation, but Brock shrugged him off every time. Ash and his mother exchanged glances before Delia finally broke the silence.

"Is something wrong, Brock?" she asked with concern. "Youve hardly said a word since I gave you that letter!"

Brock stopped eating, assuming the stance of a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Noth...nothing is wrong Ms. Ketchum! Im just a little tired, thats all." He spoke furiously, stumbling over his words and struggling to maintain eye contact.

"Now Brock, you know Im smarter than that," she remarked coyly, "and I would appreciate it if you would please tell Ash and I what is wrong, so that I dont worry about you all night."

Sighing, Brock spoke: "Im not allowed to say much, but I have to stop in Pewter for a few days before heading to Cerulean for months. I feel awful for packing up and leaving so soon after arriving, but I really dont feel I have any other choice; if I dont go, Im afraid of what will happen. Im sorry, but Ive had too much emotion today; Im going to head off to bed." And with that, he got up and walked upstairs, having barely touched his food and knowing full-well that he would not be getting much sleep that night.

Brock awoke the next day to the sun shining through the guest bedroom window, wondering when on earth he managed to fall asleep. Groaning from the troubles of the previous night, he got dressed, packed and put on his backpack, and headed down to the breakfast table, surprised to see Ash and Delia up and fully alert at such early an hour.

"I can't believe it," he said, "the first day back from traveling and you didn't even take the opportunity to sleep in? What's the occasion?"

Ash looked him straight in the eye and proclaimed, "I'm going too! I can't let you have all the fun! And besides, I'll get to visit your family as well as Misty and her sisters; I haven't seen any of them in forever!"

All of a sudden, Brock suddenly became nervous: "Are you sure? We'd be staying in Cerulean for a long time, and you just got back home yesterday! You should spend time with your family!"

Oblivious to the sweat streaming down Brock's face, Ash mentioned, "All of you are my family! I got to spend 10 years with my mom--a few more months away won't make that much of a difference! And besides, I haven't really had a calm few months with you or Misty since I started catching Pokèmon 5 years ago; it will be nice to just be able to sit back and relax with you guys for a change."

Brock didn't know what to do; he couldn't get Ash involved in his business; just the simple fact that he would think the next few months would be calm proved his ignorance and could end up getting him hurt or killed. Then again, Ash had gotten through some very tricky situations in the past, and Ash's luck and Pokèmon skills were always an asset. Could he risk it? Looking up, he realized he still hadn't responded to Ash's comments. Well, he thought, let's hope for the best, for all of our sakes.

"Alright," he conceded as Ash started to cheer. "Also, we may be able to get some free guest rooms at the Cerulean Gym for the whole length of time if I bring you along, which is always a bonus."

"Why does my presence matter for that?" Ash asked with a quizzical expression. "I'm sure Misty would let you stay at the gym free of charge regardless; we're both good friends of hers."

"Yes," Brock concurred, "but I'm not so sure she'd be as enthusiastic in my case." And he exchanged knowing smirks with Delia, prompting a confused response from Ash.

"What do you mean?" Ash wondered. "Why would she be enthusiastic about letting me stay over?"

"Oh nothing; forget I mentioned anything." Brock turned around and walked to the computer terminal, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold back his laughter much longer were he to continue to answer Ash's questions about Misty. Besides, he had to call ahead and get arrangements set up in both towns. After a few rings, the static cut off to show the video image of his father, Flint.

"Hey son," the aging, grizzly-bearded Pewter City Gym leader said warmly. "Did you get my letter? Are you on the way?"

Not just _your_ letter, Brock thought, as he hastily replied: "Yes, we are leaving right now and we should be in Pewter City in a few days. I hope this matter isn't terribly urgent; we'll have to make it through Viridian City and Viridian Forest before we can arrive."

"Oh no no, don't worry about the time; every now and then your gym leader status just catches up to you, Brock! It's not imperative that you get here immediately, but you need to come by eventually, preferably sooner rather than later."

"Ash and I have some business to attend to in Cerulean City as well, so we will stop by on the..."

His voice drowned out as his father interrupted him: "Ah, the girl wants to see Ash?"

Hearing that, Brock couldn't help but break out laughing; he looked around but Ash was nowhere to be found. Ugh, this would have elicited the perfect reaction from Ash, he thought. "Well I'm sure she does Dad, but that's not the primary reason we're staying in Cerulean; I'll explain more when I arrive. Can you set up rooming arrangements at the Gym?" Seeing his dad nod, he explained, "Alright, well I have to call Misty to get things set up. Love you Dad!" And with that, he turned off the video screen. Hmm, maybe it's better that Ash isn't here; I don't want him saying something stupid to Misty, he mused. The phone rang again and he was worried it was going to go to voicemail; he NEEDED someone to answer. His nerves were calmed when Violet answered the phone.

"Hello?...Brock? Look, I'm sorry, but we can't have you calling here all the time to try to talk to us; seriously!" She was clearly annoyed as she remarked, "You're really pissing off my boyfriend; why shouldn't I just hang up the phone right now?"

Uh oh, he thought; I guess all those courtesy calls he used from the Pokèmon centers must have been too much. Well, he still had Jenny and Joy to flirt with! How was he going to get out of this though? He was staying for months, and Violet (or her boyfriend) wouldn't be particularly prone to letting him stay a day, let alone that long. A light bulb went off in his head and he said, "Ash wanted to talk to Misty about something really important! He dialed and then realized he needed to get something from his room and asked me to talk until he got back." Perfect, he thought, she would have a lot of fun with this!

"Who?" she asked, blankly staring at Brock until her eyes lit up and she smiled wickedly. "Ooh, that's her boyfriend, isn't it?"

"More or less," Brock responded. He noticed Ash walk down the stairs into the room and was amazed at the perfect timing of his excuse. Now, to make sure Ash didn't screw it up. "Hey Ash," he called, dragging Ash to the screen; "isn't there something you wanted to ask Misty?"

Ash looked clueless for a second before he realized what Brock was talking about. "Yeah, is she around Violet?"

"No Ash, I'm sorry, but she's in the middle of a series of gym challenges and won't be available for over an hour. Would you like her to call you back or can I take a message?" She scrambled around and got together paper and a pen, clearly interested in what Ash had to say to Misty. She knew there was no way of prying the information from Misty; she was 17, stubborn, and would know what Violet was up to. But Ash was too dense to understand; Misty was actually relaxing in her room, unaware the phone call was even taking place. Violet knew she could get information from Ash, even if she had to tell a little white lie in order to.

Ash looked at the clock; "Well we're about to leave, so I guess I'll leave a message."

Violet's eyes gleamed as he began to explain their situation. By the end, the gleam in her eyes had turned to utter boredom, and she starting contemplating the request. Three months is a long time for Misty to keep Ash from saying something he isn't supposed to, Violet thought, and this phone call certainly wasn't what she was expecting. "OK," she said, "but we've only got two rooms open, and they aren't great." In fact, they had many more, but she wasn't about to let the opportunity to room Ash right between herself and Misty slip away.. "I'll run it by Misty, and we'll await your arrival in 1-2 weeks."

Ash tried to thank her but she had already turned off the screen. "Brock, did she seem almost a little...disappointed? I wonder if they don't want us coming. ...Brock?"

Brock walked into the room, backpack on his shoulder. "What'd she say?"

"She said we could stay over, but..."

Brock cut him off, having overheard the whole conversation from just outside the room. He knew Violet better than Ash did, but it was beneficial to him that Ash stay oblivious; the more Misty's sisters were involved in Ash and Misty's business, they less they would be obsessed with his. The resulting familial infighting would create a welcome distraction for Brock to get away and keep the rest of them from getting involved in what he shouldn't have even been involved in to begin with. And, after giving one last hug each to Ash's mom, Brock and Ash departed for Viridian City.

**End of Chapter**

Did you readers like the first chapter of my story? Please review it and help me with constructive criticism for future chapters. This will be a very long fanfiction (over 10 chapters, possibly over 20), later chapters being _much_ longer, and it would be enormously helpful if I could have feedback from those of you who were nice enough to read it on what I need to work on and how I can further improve my writing skills. Compliments are appreciated as well, but please explain why you view my writing the way you do. No flaming though, please.

Thanks! - DK


	2. Letters Abound!

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own any part of the Pokèmon franchise and give full credit for Pokèmon characters named in my fanfiction to Nintendo, Inc. and (until recently) 4Kids Entertainment.

Note: If you were confused by last chapter's seemingly contradicting usernames, that was an accident by me. I have, in the past, used MysticMelody, but used DragoonKain for my username as an author on the Pokèmon Tower. Hope I cleared up any confusion that may have resulted!

**Chapter 2: Letters Abound!**

_By: DragoonKain_

It had started raining, and the villagers of Shamouti Island, protected under their umbrellas, watched a familiar young brunette rush home on her bike. "Dang," she thought, "I should have gone to the post office earlier. Now I'm soaking wet and I'm still a mile away from home!" She heard a whistle and groaned; she had grown accustomed to the men her age on the island, but still winced every time she had to deal with their idiocy and perversion. She still couldn't believe she had tried to date them at times, but what is a girl to do? She looked back just in time to see the perpetrator trip over himself and fall flat on his face, too busy looking at her to notice where he was going. "Serves him right," she mused; "I can't wait until I make it back home." Of course, she knew this aversion to the Shamouti men only pleased her father; he wouldn't dare let her escape his close gaze with a boy ever. It was frustrating at times, but gave her a good excuse to scare off guys she didn't like. She smiled as her home came in sight, dreaming of the fireplace and towels that would await her. She parked and locked her bike and ran to her front door, almost falling through as her older sister opened the door before she even had a chance to knock.

The two women stared at each other for a moment in silent amusement, before they heard an exclamation of "Ah! Melody! What are you doing? You're getting water everywhere! I told you to go when it was dry!" Melody looked up to see her father rushing over with towels, giving her a quick, disapproving glance. "Why won't you ever listen to me?"

"Sorry Dad," she mumbled; "I guess I got a little caught up earlier and didn't realize it!" She turned to her sister, who was obviously trying hard not to laugh at her soaking clothes and wet, messy hair. "As I can see I've made your day, would you mind taking the mailbag into the kitchen Carol?" She tossed the bag to her older sister as she went to shower and change her clothes. "DON'T open any of my mail!"

"Haha alright," Carol said as she burst out laughing, unable to contain it anymore, "just as long as you don't borrow any of my clothes!" That prompted a smile from Melody just as she was sneaking out of view upstairs. Carol turned to her father; "Dad, why do you have to be so hard on her? You know she doesn't disobey you on purpose!"

"I would believe that more if that were her proven record," Tom Flura said sternly; "But enough about that; I want to see if the letter about my company's annual picnic has arrived yet!" And with that, they strolled into the kitchen and dumped the contents of the mailbag on the table. Letters upon letters fell out, as well as a cyan notebook. "Isn't this notebook Melody's?" he asked, "I think I should look at it just in case." He reached for the notebook and instantly felt pain shoot across his hand.

"Are you serious, Dad?" Carol was fuming. "She's 17, almost 18, and you still treat her like she's 10. Give her some privacy!" She slipped the notebook into her own bag. "I bet you can't resist even once from trying to find out information about her!"

"Now Carol, you know that's not true!" Tom was clearly embarrassed. "The next time I have the chance to find out info, I'll pass it up; I promise!"

"Good, because that chance is now: there's a letter here for Melody from Trovita Gym. I hope you will hold up on your bargain and leave it untouched by the time she gets downstairs?"

"...But isn't Trovita's gym leader male?" Tom sighed. "Alright, but I'm telling you; it better not be anything that puts her at risk, or you'll be partly responsible as well!"

Carol was about to retort when Melody came bounding downstairs in a white/orange blouse and a black skirt. "Hey, what'd I miss?" she asked with a twirl. "Oh hey, my mail is actually sealed this time! _Finally_, Dad..." as she rolled her eyes and tore open the envelope. "By the way, how come _Carol_ never has to get the mail?"

"You _know_ I'm working on my Literature major, Melody! It takes up pretty much my whole day, and I haven't been helped by a recent bout of writer's block." She grimaced as she thought of the hours she had toiled in front of a computer screen, merely trying to think of what to write. At least she had the whole semester to write her novel, but she couldn't use those months just trying to think of the storyline!

Her thoughts were broken as she heard a harsh "What is it Melody?" from her father. She glanced over at Melody, and was taken aback at the sight. Now Melody was typically a pretty hyper girl, but Carol couldn't remember a time where she had ever been like this. She was bouncing up and down, obviously excited, and her eyes were wide-eyed.

"Oh my god, Carol, I think I found your muse!" Melody was so frantic that she was having trouble stringing her words coherently. "Look! Look!"

Carol took the letter from Melody, eyes mirroring Melody's as she read it:

_Hey Melody, I don't know if you remember me, but this is Rudy from the Trovita Gym. I'll get straight to the chase. I and two of my best friends were going to visit Cerulean City to see how one of the Kanto Gyms compared to ours in the Orange Islands, but my friends couldn't attend, both going on vacation with their families right before we were supposed to leave for Cerulean. Anyway, I sent you their two plane tickets just in case you want to go, since I know you know Misty! You will need to take a boat to Trovita Island, but you are an expert sailswoman and it's a short distance regardless! Anyway, the flight is on Monday, September 15th, so if you want to go, just come by Trovita on the 14th!  
Rudy  
P.S. Heard you graduated high school a year early last May! Congratulations!_

Carol now knew why Melody was so excited; she had been trying to find a way off Shamouti for forever. Melody was an adventurous girl, and, outside of her meeting Ash and Misty, there had never been very much excitement on the island. Melody was right, too; this trip to Cerulean could be just the thing she needed to get some inspiration back for her novel, especially if Ash and Misty were both there. "I'd love t..." Carol paused mid-sentence and realized that there was no way their dad would let Melody out of his sight for one second without an incredibly solid reason. She took a deep breath and pocketed the letter. She couldn't believe she was about to do this, but she needed this trip as much as Melody did. "Dad, that letter was a forward to Melody from the Cerulean Gym. Misty was inviting Melody and I to come hang out for a few months. It would help me tremendously, and Melody honestly needs a change of scenery after all these years stuck on the island. It would help to get her a little traveling! Misty also paid for two tickets from Trovita Island; she didn't know our exact address, but she knew Rudy did, and so she sent them to him to forward. Can we go, just for my first semester of senior year?" She felt horrible lying, but she knew her dad would never approve an invitation from a guy, and she could clear the story out with Misty after arriving in Cerulean. She exchanged knowing looks with Melody as they awaited their father's answer.

"...Ugh, alright," Tom exclaimed, frustrated, "BUT you must keep an eye on her Carol! And I want updates on how both of you are doing periodically. Oh, and Melody! If you pull anything like you did when you were younger, I will only have one daughter; do I make myself clear?"

"_Yes_, Dad, I get it; jeez, why can't you be trusting for once?!" And Melody stormed off, shouting back that she was heading up to pack. Carol soon followed, shaking her head condescendingly at her dad, and they prepared for their departure the next week.

Hope you enjoyed Part 2 of the story! This and Chapter 3 (coming next week) were originally meant to be one chapter, but this part turned out so great (and long .) that I'm going to split them into 2 chapters. Again, please review!

Thank you for reading! - DK


	3. Clues Take Their Form In Flowers

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own any part of the Pokèmon franchise and give full credit for Pokèmon characters named in my fanfiction to Nintendo, Inc. and (until recently) 4Kids Entertainment.

**Chapter 3: Clues Take Their Form In Flowers**

_By: DragoonKain_

He couldn't believe it; he had driven all the way to Celadon City only to find the Gym closed for the day! He didn't have time to spare, and he wouldn't be able to scope the Gym much longer or someone would begin to think the Gym was being broken into, and he couldn't afford that; he already had a bad enough police record as it stood. He walked back around to the front of the Gym and rang the bell one last time in a feeble effort, hoping somebody would answer the door so he could get going. It felt good for the 5'11", dark-haired boy to be back in Celadon, and, on a different day, he would've loved to explore the town and see how it had changed in the last two years, but he had a job to do. He turned around and began to walk away in desperation when, to his surprise, the door opened behind him.

A red-haired girl poked her head outside the Gym's door. "Look, we're closed; I'm sorry, but you'll need to come back on a diff...wait, what are you doing? HEY! Guys aren't allowed inside the Gym!"

He had stormed past her; he needed to take this opportunity, even if it _was_ technically trespassing. He had done much worse in the past, to his regret, but it made situations like this seem trivial. Looking back, he saw her running towards him and realized he wasn't anywhere near where he needed to be. He took off, taking blind turns to lose the girl. He paused to take a rest and turned around. The girl was nowhere in sight. "Finally!" he muttered out loud; "Now I can get to the task on hand." He then set off to his destination in the Gym, only to notice he had no idea where he was. He cursed under his breath and figured he would just walk around until he was in a familiar setting. After about 15 minutes of wandering, seeing nothing but plants, he needed to think of a new plan. He leaned against the wall, and began to fall into it. "What the..?" He then realized, to his embarrassment, that he had leaned into an ajar door, NOT the wall. He was about to close it to avoid detection, but he heard several faint voices coming from the room beyond. One he plainly recognized; he had met her years ago, and was glad he had found her! He started to enter the room, but something Erika said stopped him in his tracks.

"So I just got off the phone with Violet Waterflower, and it turns out they are rooming FIVE different people around the same time. Guess Cerulean is popular this time of year!"

Another female voice that he didn't recognize responded with, "Who are they rooming? For them to fill up their Gym's room capacity, they must know these people really well, huh?"

"Well, one of them _is_ Ash." That line prompted laughter from the rest of the group. "In truth, I've only met two of them, but I know _of_ two out of the three. Brock, the former Pewter City Gym Leader, is accompanying Ash, and Rudy, Trovita Island's Gym Leader, is traveling with two of his friends and asked if they could stay at the Gym.

He was listening intensely and didn't notice someone approach him from behind until he heard a "Plume Plume!" He spun around, but was too late; his body immediately locked up in paralysis from the girl's Vileplume's Stun Spore. He fell backwards, and the door was knocked open, halting the conversation.

"Sorry it took me so long Erika; this guy is _fast_." As she stood above him, he realized it was the redhead. He tried to curse again, but his mouth was in the same state as the rest of his body. He braced to be forcibly led out of the Gym, but felt a sensation of relief come over his body as he heard Erika speak up.

"Hold it Julie," she said, amused, "I know this guy. It's been a long time, Blade! Can someone get him some Parlyz Heal?"

About a half hour later, his body had loosened back out. He wondered if he would be able to get out the Spun Spore from his custom-made leather jacket; he hoped so, because it would cost a fortune to repair! Looking around, he felt the stares of all the women in the room. Blade began to speak: "Erika, I need to talk to you alone if I may. I have some Kanto League business to attend to you, as you are the active Gym leader." He flashed his Official Kanto Pokèmon League Badge, and Erika asked the other girls to leave for a minute. "I was told to deliver one of these letters in person to an active Gym Leader from each of the seven main Gyms, excluding Viridian's, of course." He pulled an envelope out of his jacket and handed it over. "Now, I must be going; keep in mind that you are not allowed to disclose the contents of that letter, even to me. I don't know what they say, so don't credit me for what it tells you, good or bad."

Erika looked a bit confused. "You've been gone for two years, and you're just going to travel to another city without even visiting your house? You're not going to even check on your business?"

"Look, once I'm done with this job, I have all the free time in the world, but until then, my first priority is delivering these letters. The League Commissioner told me it was absolutely imperative to get these received as fast as possible; it's why he picked me! It's only taken me about 3 weeks to visit five of the seven Gyms, with only Cerulean and Pewter left." He turned and started strolling out the door, but paused about halfway. "By the way," he mentioned, looking over his shoulder, "you wouldn't happen to have been talking about Brock Slate and Rudy Trovita, were you?"

Startled, she replied, "Yeah, Trovita Island was named after Rudy's great-grandparents; the Gym has been in their family for generations. And I don't know Brock's last name, but he is tan, tall, and has a weird eye condition that causes him to repetitively squint. How do you know them?"

Blade smirked and responded with, "Forget I asked," before leaving the room. Turning to his left, he saw the front door of the Gym right in front of him. "Did I seriously run the entire way around the Gym?" he wondered. He couldn't believe he was that stupid to think he was lost; the length of time it had been since he had lived in Celadon must really have altered his memory. He walked out the front door, releasing his Cyndaquil. "Hey buddy, did you have a nice nap? I figured you'd like to ride on my shoulder all the way to Cerulean and get some fresh air!"

"Cyndaquil-quil!" (_Yay! Road trip!_)

Blade laughed; "Cynder, you have almost as much energy as your mother did!" He immediately regretted saying that, as Cynder started to get sad. "Sorry Cynder, I know how much you miss her, but we will find her again someday!"

"Cynda?" (_Promise?_)

"Promise! Now, let's get moving!" And with that, he got on his motorbike, and they set off for Cerulean City.

Back inside the Gym, Erika heard a motor start up and shook her head. She pondered whether that boy would ever sit back and enjoy life instead of being in a rush all the time. She looked at the sealed envelope in her hand and tried to guess what was inside it. She figured there was only one way of finding out, breaking the seal and letting the contents spill out. She read the letter three times; she couldn't believe it! She grew red-faced; looks like it was time for her to talk to the League Commissioner. She only hoped Blade would be able to stop this once he figured out what he was doing. It was only a matter of time with him...

**End of Chapter**

__

This week I'm going to have two Chapters, so expect Chapter 4 by the 17th! Hope you enjoyed Chapter 3, and I certainly hope it left you in sufficient suspense! Please review my story, because I can always use the feedback, no matter if it's positive or negative!

Again, thank you all for reading! DK


	4. On The Sea To Cerulean City

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own any part of the Pokèmon franchise and give full credit for Pokèmon characters named in my fanfiction to Nintendo, Inc. and (until recently) 4Kids Entertainment.

**Note for my readers: sorry it took me over a year to start working on my fanfiction again! I just got so busy over the late spring/summer, and then college caused me to completely forget about it. I'll stay current now. Thank you to all of you who still read my fanfictions; it still means a lot to me! :)**

**On The _Sea_ to _Cerulean_ City**

Melody woke up bright and early on the 11th, excited to know she'd be in Cerulean City in less than 48 hours. Dragging her luggage, she tore down the stairs, only to halt at the bottom from the sounds she heard coming from the kitchen.

"Dad, this is just stupid; how am I supposed to focus on my novel if you come visit and start throwing fits with Melody all the time about random guys she doesn't even know?"

"Now Carol, you know very well that I need to protect your sister! Or need I remind you of what happened in Saffron when she was younger?" Melody winced at this; she had never dreamed her dad would hold her actions over her head for 7 years, but here he was, still bringing it up to try and win arguments.

"Look, what happened to her wasn't her fault, and she was 10 Dad. TEN! She's seventeen now, and she can handle herself just fine without you making her life miserable."

"I'm sorry Carol, but either I go, or you two don't. Which will it be?"

Carol sighed. Melody knew this was a lose-lose option for her. No matter what choice Carol made, she would have to deal with family fighting all the time. Melody was about to head back upstairs when she heard Carol begin to speak again. "Hey Dad, how about I give you nightly updates on how we're doing and what Melody is up to. I promise I'll be completely honest, and you know you can trust me. I'll answer any questions you have, and this way I can be left in peace to write my novel. Besides, you're the island's mayor; you can't just LEAVE, even on vacation! Please tell me this is ok?"

For the next few minutes, all Melody heard was silence. Then her Dad began to speak. "...Fine, but I reserve the right to call you two back to Shamouti Island at any time I want, especially if Melody violates my trust again." Melody threw her arms into the air. Next thing she knew, there was a loud bang, and she was on the floor beneath 30 pounds of luggage. In her excitement, she had forgotten that she had been holding her luggage above her on the staircase, and it fell on top of her when she let go of it.

"Oh my god, Melody, are you ok?" Carol had already rushed over to help unload the luggage off of her sister.

Melody winced. "Yeah, but my ankle hurts really bad!" She looked down to see her right ankle heavily swollen and red. "Guess I don't have to steer the ship today, huh?"

Carol smiled with Melody. "Let's just hope it's not too bad. You don't want to miss out on being able to walk around Cerulean, do you?"

Melody was about to respond, but just then her Dad arrived with a first aid kit. He inspected the injury, and gave out a long sigh. "Well, it looks like you sprained it. You were lucky--it'll only take a day or two to heal, but take these with you in case you need them." And he handed Melody her old crutches as he turned to Carol. "See, this is why I'm worried about her going! You need to keep an eye on her; the last thing I need is to hear about her actually breaking something!"

"Anyways, lets just get your luggage to the boat; my stuff is already packed and loaded, and I want to get to Trovita Island as soon as possible to avoid the bad weather that's expected to hit this afternoon." Carol walked over and grabbed Melody's bags. "Jeez, what on earth did you pack??!! And how did you get these bags downstairs? Well, regardless, Dad, can you help me with them? We'll meet you at the dock in an hour, ok Melody?" Melody nodded. "Good, we'll see you then. Try not to hurt yourself any worse, ok?" And with that, Carol and their Dad left the house, leaving Melody to sit on the stairs nursing her ankle in silence. Why did things like this always happen to her? Was she just unlucky?

Regardless, she wanted to make sure she didn't leave anything behind before her big trip, but the stairs suddenly seemed daunting to her with her injury. "Well, I cant ask Dad to help if I want him to stay off my back about being in Cerulean alone, now can I?" So she started her ascent, only to fall on the second stair. She sighed and picked up her crutches, only to realize that one of the shoulders had popped off during the fall, and now she had to fix it. As she picked up the shoulder off the ground and started heading to the kitchen to fix it, she felt her fingers brush something. She looked down, saw a very thinly rolled up piece of paper, and immediately stopped. What could it possibly be? She'd had these crutches for ages and never noticed this before, but then again, the crutches had never broken before, hence why she kept them so long. So she sat down where she was, unrolled the paper, and began to read, re-read, and re-read again. 15 minutes later, she had read the note what felt like a thousand times, but she still couldn't believe it. And she laid back against the wall, and began to sob.

**End of Chapter**

_P.S. This part was supposed to have chapter 6 in it as well, but it would've turned out much longer, and I like leaving my readers on a cliffhanger! ;) But again, thank you to my loyal readers! Please comment if you'd wish! :) ~ DK_


	5. The Story REALLY Begins

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own any part of the Pokmon franchise and give full credit for Pokmon characters named in my fanfiction to Nintendo, Inc. and (until recently) 4Kids Entertainment.

**The Story REALLY Begins**

Smoke rose into the sky from a small campfire nestled deep in the heart of Viridian Forest. Ash lay awake next to it, with Pikachu and several of his other Pokmon nestled up against him. It had been a long day, and despite his endless questions on why Brock was so tense and hurried, Brock had refused to discuss anything related to their journey, other than to say that they needed to squeeze as many daylight hours as they could for traveling. He hadn't even flirted with Nurse Joy when they had stopped at the Viridian Pokmon Center to let their Pokmon rest after the trip from Pallet Town! And even now, as Ash tried to sleep, all he could think about was how Brock was sitting on a nearby tree stump, face in his hands, obviously disturbed about something. Oh well, Ash thought as he finally drifted to sleep, hopefully Brock will relax once he gets to Pewter...

Ash woke up at the break of dawn to Brock lifting him off the ground and yelling at him to get ready. Ash couldn't figure out what the commotion was, but something seemed terribly wrong. Brock could get upset, yes, but Ash had never seen him THIS distressed in the entire time he had traveled with Brock. Ash threw on his clothes, grabbed his backpack, and woke up all his Pokmon, returning all but Pikachu to their Pokballs and running after Brock, who had already taken off heading towards Pewter. At once, Ash saw what Brock was upset about: he could see giant plumes of dirt and smoke in the distance, coming from what he assumed was Pewter City.

Ash had to sprint to catch up to Brock, and almost ran into Brock's back as he suddenly skidded to a halt in front of Ash. As Ash looked over Pewter City, Ash's eyes went wide and Brock began to cry, the first time Ash had ever seen Brock do so. But Ash didn't notice much, because his eyes were locked on the source of the giant cloud of smoke; a large pile of rocks in the same location that the Pewter Gym should've been.

**~~~Meanwhile, on Route 7, just outside Saffron...~~~**

Blade cursed under his breath. This was probably the 6th time he had been pulled over since he had left Celadon. He knew from experience that the Saffron police were strict, but this was just ridiculous. Officer Jenny was taking a long time checking his driver's license, much longer than the other officers had; something was wrong. He waited patiently until she came back, but the look on her face made him nervous. "Is something wrong, Officer?" He began to sweat; the Pokmon League was supposed to have taken care of his police record; something was out of place. Jenny began to speak: "'Blade', huh? Well, Blade Shaw, you're under arrest for multiple counts of breaking and entering, trespassing, vandalism, impersonating a police officer, accessory to burglary, accessory to assault and battery, and resisting arrest. Get off your bike, NOW." He grew extremely tense; this kind of arrest would put him behind bars for decades. He sighed and began to dismount his bike when suddenly, there was a huge explosion straight ahead in Saffron. Officer Jenny spun around in shock and Blade took his chance; he grabbed his license from her hands and took off towards Saffron.

He looked back; Jenny had been so taken aback he had gained serious ground on her in the time it took her to get back to her bike, but he knew that he would have to avoid police from now on, and that was so much harder than it sounded, especially in Kanto, ESPECIALLY in Saffron City. As the city came into view, he heard sirens coming from behind and ahead of him. It looked like he was caught no matter what he did; his bike was mobile but it couldn't handle the forests; he needed to make it into the city to lose the police, and the police would reach him before that happened. Blade began to brake, planning an escape into the forest surrounding Route 7, when all of a sudden, the surroundings changed from a forest to total darkness, and he panicked, his bike skidding to the ground in 3-digit speeds.

He prepared for impact, knowing full well he was probably dead when he hit the ground, but it never came. He uncovered his face from his hands, and realized that he was...hovering??!! His body slowly drifted to the ground as a figure began to appear from the darkness in front of him.

"How have you been, Blade? What happened to your legendary escapes from the police that you're well-known for?" That voice....it couldn't be...

"Sabrina??!!" And as he looked closer, he realized that he was correct, Sabrina's face coming into clearer focus the more time that passed.

"Yes, Blade, but we don't have much time, so excuse me if I don't waste time on greetings. I can't tell you much, due to the content and legal issues of and surrounding the letters you've been delivering, so I will show you instead, since they didn't include a provision prohibiting PSYCHIC communication." And she winked as she disappeared from view into the darkness, replaced by a copy of what Blade presumed to be the Pokmon Leagues letters to each Gym.

_Dear Sabrina,_

I regret to inform you that the Pokmon League has found our current system of protecting the Elemental Sources to be...lacking, at best. We are thereby closing all 8 of the protective Gyms, and asking that you surrender your Source at once to the League. Please know that a refusal to do so will result in serious and disastrous consequences. As I'm sure our messenger has informed you, you are not allowed to discuss the contents of this letter or meaning behind it with any person, including other Gym Leaders, under penalty of law. Think carefully about what your decision will mean for you, your family, and your Gym before deciding.

~ Pokmon League

Blade was heavily confused; what did the letter mean by 'protective Gyms'? And what on earth were Elemental Sources? Suddenly, the letter faded out and the room changed to a large meeting hall full with people obviously bothered about something. Blade recognized some of them, including Erika's mother and Lt. Surge. One man, whom Blade didn't recognize, came up to the podium and started speaking.

"Look, we have finally retrieved all 8 of the Sources; there is only one way to make sure this type of war never happens again. We MUST destroy these items! If we don't act, we will never stop people from misusing these items!"

At this, a huge uproar began to accumulate among the present members. Blade had a confused look on his face, trying to figure out what was going on during the chaos; the last war, the Johto-Kanto war, was 30 years ago, and had involved technology allowing humans to channel Pokmon powers through their own bodies; could this be what they were referring to? He saw 8 items in an open suitcase; he assumed these were the Sources that were constantly being referred to. Could they be the technology referred to? Only two, a red gun and a silver sword with a brown hilt, even looked like weapons though; the rest didn't seem even REMOTELY technological; he saw a black glove, a blue necklace, yellow boots, a purple headband, a green bracelet, and a darker green wrist guard that looked very similar to a gauntlet. And besides, according to history, the technology was destroyed!

All of a sudden, a man stood up from the audience and yelled for everyone to be quiet. He was very sharply dressed, and Blade knew he'd seen him from somewhere, but just couldn't place WHERE. He began to speak in a very calm tone.

"Commissioner, you can't expect us to give up the advantage these items give Kanto over Johto and the other world regions? If we dispose of these items, I guarantee you there will be an attack on our country!" At this, a murmur erupted from the crowd. "I propose that we instead set up a series of hiding spots for the Sources, so that they could both be gathered in case of an attack and not be controlled by one person. This way, we can maintain control over them without losing control."

Blade saw the commissioner start to sweat as more and more people stood up to challenge him. He had never seen this kind of political power from one person; who could it be? Then, it suddenly dawned on him; the man was Giovanni! But...he looked much younger, and he was respected by most of the people there. What was going on?

Blade didn't have much time to think about it as the room suddenly disappeared and he landed in the middle of a forest clearing, which he recognized as being on Route 3. That left him right outside Cerulean City! He walked over to his bike, but noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground. He picked it up and began to read.

_Sorry I had to leave in such a hurry; you're in a lot of danger and I needed to cut off the connection early; please take the attached item and WEAR IT, even if it looks stupid. And FINISH YOUR JOB, even though you know what's going on; if you don't, your police record won't be expunged!_

~ Sabrina; P.S. Check the left inside pocket of your jacket; Erika should've helped you out too. Oh, and sorry about the side effects :p.

As he finished reading the letter, he was taken aback at the object that mysteriously formed in his hands; the same purple headband he had seen in the vision! Shaking, he put his hand in his inner left pocket and pulled out another one; the light green bracelet. Sabrina couldn't be serious; they had to be the most feminine things he had ever seen! Blade sighed; it was better than dying or going to jail for his whole life, and he owed her a lot. And besides, he thought, he could always hide them with his jacket cuff and hat. As he slipped them on, however, he suddenly felt a lot of power brew inside him. It was strange; he felt almost like he was floating, but, when he looked down, his feet were still touching the ground. He felt like he needed to test this feeling though; he jumped, and felt the lightest he ever had. Now he was good at martial arts (necessary from how he grew up and police involvements), but he had never felt this limber. He tried to do a back flip and wound up doing a perfect 720 degree triple back handspring. Suddenly, voices began filling his head as well, but he couldn't tell from what direction. They became louder and louder, and he decided he needed to get out of there. But while he was on the way to his bike to escape, he suddenly felt extremely lightheaded and collapsed in excruciating pain. It only lasted a few minutes, but it felt like it lasted an eternity; he sat up and waited for his vision to gather. As he stood up, he found the world strangely unfamiliar; he looked around and managed to cover his mouth before he yelled out as he realized what had happened. Now this was the last straw; he NEEDED to find Sabrina; she had to explain what was going on to him. But first thing's first; As Sabrina said, he had to finish his job first, no matter what. And he only had two letters left to deliver.


	6. Misty's 'Match' is Back!

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own any part of the Pokmon franchise and give full credit for Pokmon characters named in my fanfiction to Nintendo, Inc. and (until recently) 4Kids Entertainment.

**Misty's 'Match' is Back!**

Deep in the middle of the Orange Islands, a reflective Carol sat at the helm of her boat, but instead of the wonders that lay ahead in Trovita and Cerulean, she could only think of her sister, who was taking a nap in the cabin. She just couldn't understand what had happened; all of a sudden, Melody had gone from full of energy to completely downtrodden and exhausted. Their dad had assumed it was a result of Melody's injury right before a big trip, but Carol knew her sister better than that. She had, of course, kept her mouth shut so that he wouldn't insist upon traveling with them, but that didn't change the fact that nothing Carol had ever witnessed could tamp down Melody once she was wound up, and yet Melody had had a complete 180 change of emotions in a few minutes. This was in addition to the fact that, although Melody loved to steer the ship and did so on almost every boat ride, she had turned it down quietly when it was offered and headed straight for the cabin. Carol was going to get to the bottom of this, and soon, because she couldn't have any surprises ruin this trip for her. She had to do everything to keep her dad from visiting, and this seemed just the very thing that would stoke his interest in Cerulean City.

She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't see the big island that they were fast approaching, and had to severely cut back on the throttle at the last minute to avoid beaching the boat. She heard a crash from inside the cabin as the boat came to a hard stop and winced; hopefully nothing had been broken in her mental lapse. She heard the cabin door open below, and her sister came hobbling out without a crutch.

"What the hell Carol? What happened? I got thrown out of bed, and almost hit my bad leg against the table! Did we hit something?"

"No, sorry Mel, I just lost track of time and didn't see the island approaching." Carol grimaced as she said that, realizing how idiotic that sounded.

"How the hell do you not see an island??? I don't take the wheel once, and this is what happ..........oh my god. Rudy, Drake!!!"

Carol turned around to see who her sister was waving ferociously at, and saw two guys rushing down the hillside towards the dock. She didn't recognize either of them, but obviously Melody did.

The first of the guys reached the bottom of the hill. "Is everything okay here? We heard a crash and came running down to make sure no one was..." He paused as Melody had limped her way over and hugged him tightly. He smiled; she hadn't changed at all. Still, the limp worried him. "...hurt. What happened to your leg?"

"Is that any way to begin a conversation with someone you haven't seen in like 7 years, Rudy? But don't worry, it wasn't from the crash, though it certainly didn't HELP my leg, CAROL," Melody said as she glared at her sister.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Carol looked exasperated from the crash. Then all of a sudden, Melody's statement began to connect in her head. "Wait...seven years ago...THAT'S WHERE YOU KNOW HIM FROM? Melody, how could you play me like this?" Carol's face was red with anger, and Melody began to look terrified.

"I thought you knew! I wasn't trying to hide it from you! I promise!" Melody backed up against the boat rail, shaking, when the second boy stepped between the two sisters and began to speak.

"She knows us _both_ from that time, but you can relax. I was one of the two originally going with Rudy, but the Orange Islands Pokmon league set up a meeting without telling me until the last minute. Rudy's now the Trovita Gym Leader, and I'm Drake; I'm the final Leader of the Orange Islands. Neither of us have any connection to our old lives anymore, and we've both rebuilt our lives from the ground up. We don't have police records either, if you'd like to check. I know it seems bad that she knows us, but you can be assured that she's safe, especially in Rudy's acquaintance. I've never met a more protective guy, especially of _women._"

Melody began to snicker at the emphasis Drake put at the end, and Rudy rolled his eyes as he took his chance; "Drake's right; the only thing that will happen to her will be that she'll have a ton of fun and be able to hang out with a girl her own age for once. I can personally guarantee her safety for the entire length of the trip. Just think it over; the flight's not until tomorrow. and if you want, you can just head back to Shamouti, but I'd hope you could look through my past and see the guy I am now. We'll take your bags up to your rooms in the Gym, and get a wheelchair for Melody if she needs one to get up the hill."

"No I'm fine; I have my old crutches. I'll show you which bags are whose....are you ok?" Rudy looked like he was in shock, but quickly recovered. "Yeah, sorry, got lost in thought; let's get your stuff up to the gym, okay? We leave pretty early in the morning, so you'll want to get dinner and get to bed early for plenty of rest before Cerulean tomorrow...that is, if Carol is ok with us going."

"....Know that I'll keep a _very_ close eye on you Rudy; but yes, we can go. I trust Misty and her sisters enough to protect my sister even if I don't trust you at the moment. If anything happens where she gets hurt again, however, I'm blaming it entirely on you." With that, Carol stormed off for the gym, wondering if she had made one of the worst or best decisions of her life.

Melody sighed. "Forget her Rudy; let's just get prepared for tomorrow...in CERULEAN!!!" And the three of them got to work on transporting the luggage the luggage to the gym, catching up along the way.

**~~~Meanwhile, back in Pewter City...~~~**

Brock couldn't believe it; reality was worse than his worst fears. He had expected trouble, but..."excuse me, are you Brock? You can see your father now." He looked up to see a nurse standing in front of him. He could only manage a whispered "thank you..." before rushing in to the now-open hospital room. He halted at the door, in shock at the sight he saw. He was glad he had asked Ash to go check on his family, because he didn't want Ash seeing his father like this. Flint looked like hell; his skin was discolored to a purple hue, he had tubes running all over his body, and he was barely moving. Brock rushed over to his father. "Dad, speak to me, please! PLEASE!"

"Bro...ck...they...took...it...; get...it...ba................." Flint slumped over as his blood pressure suddenly heavily dropped, setting off the hospital emergency call. Nurses flooded the room and dragged a crying Brock out of the room. Brock grabbed one of them, and began to yell.

"What happened to my dad??!! You have to tell me what happened to my dad!!"

"Look, Sir, I understand the pain you're feeling, but we can't help you; your dad's showing dead-on signs of a heavy case of Ariados poisoning, but our strongest antidotes haven't worked in the slightest, so we don't know what's wrong yet. Please don't interfere with our ability to help your father!" And the nurse shook herself off of Brock and slammed the room door in his face.

Brock stood there for a few minutes, wallowing in his tears and thinking over the words his father had said to him. Brock suddenly realized what his dad had been talking about; he had been so consumed in what had happened to his family that he had completely forgotten about it! Well, no matter what, he was going to perform his dad's hospital-bed wishes, no matter what it required. And he would figure out how to cure his dad while he was at it! Brock grabbed his backpack and rushed out of the hospital, determined to grab Ash and hurry on to Cerulean. He was going to make everything right again, no matter what it took.

_~ DragoonKain_


End file.
